Monthly Archives: December 2021

Today is my first day of holidays for just over 2 weeks, and tomorrow I’m heading to Newfoundland for Christmas. I didn’t get home last year because we were on another Covid lockdown, so I’m really looking forward to this year. 2021 proved to be another interesting year to say the least, but it went surprisingly fast, for me anyway. I was really happy to do a couple of wine tastings this year, I got home to Newfoundland in July, my first visit in a year. And I’ve had some great wines. I’d like to share a few of my favorites from this past year.

Back in March I had this wonderful new white wine. A great priced Chardonnay out of California, Trinity Oaks. The grapes come from sustainably vineyards and they plant a tree for every bottle they sell. This Chardonnay was wonderful with pear and citrus flavors and priced around the $22 mark.

Last March I also introduced you to the newest member of our family.

Riley picked up Maggie, the addition to our family, at Coastal Breezes in Antigonish and we took her to the airport. She still has her tongue out for most pictures. This is Riley with Maggie in his arms.

Maggie is a bit too big to be in Riley’s arms now. And I just spent last weekend with her, and she’s grown more.

This past Summer I had a wine tasting and I bought this Rose. The Gerard Betrand Cote des Rose was excellent. I think it was the best one I’ve had this year. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, it is not sweet in any way and priced under $20. The bottle is exceptionally pretty but not as good as the wine inside. It’s crisp and vibrant and I absolutely love this rose wine.

This past year also saw me making new friends, one being a wonderful lady who reads my blog every week.

This past year also had me reconnecting with childhood friends.

Shane and I have been friends since early teens, and although we have both lived in different parts of the country, we saw each other when we could. Well, now we both live in Nova Scotia, and I’m over the moon happy to see him when I’m in Antigonish or when he comes to Halifax. Here’s to seeing a lot more of Shane in 2022. He loves wine, just like me! Shane also introduced me to one of my favorite wines of 2021.

Ripasso reds are such interesting wines. The Valpolicella grape juice is poured over the must and skins of Amarone, giving it a complexity that is delicious. And it’s not often the price of wines go down, but I saw Shane last weekend and he pointed out that the price of this wine dropped $3 permanently. Even a better deal.

It’s been a challenging 2 years, 22 months with Covid, and my family lives in Newfoundland. Thankfully I have been able to see them. But I have to say a big thank you to my friends. I have been blessed with wonderful friends and they got me through many tough times in 2021. Here’s to more great times in 2022.

You may remember my sister Jackie gave me a gorgeous BBQ for Christmas last year.

It has the steak sear zone.

Which cooks an amazing steak.

I’ve tried and shared many recipes.

I do a lot of cooking.

But I digress. Let’s talk some more wine.

I discovered this Italian red this past week, and will definitely be buying it again. Under $20, the Dogajolo Toscano red is a Super Tuscan, Sangiovese blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. A gorgeous medium bodied wine that makes a great addition to any Christmas get together.

Well, that’s it for me for today. I would like to take a moment to wish every reader of my wine blog a very Merry Christmas, and here’s to a great 2022. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Darlene

Hello December! At work on Wednesday, I couldn’t believe it was already December 1st. This Fall just flew by, even November where it seemed it rained every day

This is what my BBQ looked like for most of November. It was a windy and wet one. Today it’s sunny and we have a wind chill of -12-degrees. Hello December!

My sister and my brother-in-law are coming this week on Tuesday. Yay! She is one of my favorite people on the planet. And I love him, he is the brother I never had. I’m so excited.

They are crossing over the ferry tonight, heading to Antigonish, where their son Riley is going to St. FX University. So, while she is here, I may make this dessert. Jackie loves chocolate, and I know she would love this Chocolate Lasagna.

You can find the easy to make recipe here. Oh, and Maggie is coming too.

So Maggie is going to stay with Riley and Jackie and Craig are coming to Halifax on Tuesday to do some Christmas shopping. I took a couple of days off this week to spend with her, and then on Friday evening I’m heading to Antigonish to spend the weekend with all of them. So, there won’t be a wine blog next weekend.

Let’s talk some wine. Well, first, let’s talk when wine and beer meet.

A local craft beer company, North Brewing, has teamed up with Benjamin Bridge, the award winning winery in the Annapolis Valley, to create Blanc Grisette conditioned on the skins of Sauvignon Blanc. It was so delicious. Crisp and light, I enjoyed this after work yesterday evening. I loved it.

I booked my trip home yesterday, going home for Christmas for 10 days. Because of a Covid lockdown, I couldn’t get home last Christmas, and it was our first Christmas without my Dad. So I’m really looking forward to getting home for Christmas this year. My mom drinks white wine, and this is one of her favorites.

Although I find the Apothic red wines OK, I really like the white. It is available in every province and it’s priced at around the $20 mark. It’s a delicious blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Grigio, and it’s a great addition to any Christmas party. It’s a wonderful food wine, because Chardonnay will bring the body and the texture, Riesling and Pinot Grigio will bring acidity and provide a perfect balance. If you try this wine, I would love to know what you think.

I decided to try this new wine from Spain a little while ago. It’s a Garnacha – Syrah blend. Garnacha is Grenache, so it’s comparable to a Cote du Rhone from France. This is a great wine, normally priced under $17, and now on sale. So a great time to try it. Great peppery notes and wine critic James Suckling gave this wine, which is under $15, 92 Points.

That’s it for me this week. Till next week, Cheers